var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime() Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: 15 cats found living in unoccupied home - London, ON (CA)
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Case ID: 16173
Classification: Hoarding, Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: cat
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15 cats found living in unoccupied home
London, ON (CA)

Incident Date: Thursday, Feb 4, 2010

Disposition: Dismissed

Person of Interest: woman

Even for seasoned London Humane Society investigators, the find was a first: a house an owner maintained only for cats.

Fifteen cats lived in the Huron St. house -- several were pregnant, many were feral -- that was unfurnished, save for a dining room table, two end-tables and a floor lamp.

Someone fed the cats every day, but no one lived there. The smell of ammonia -- caused by a mixture of cat urine and spray from male cats -- clung to the clothes of the inspectors who seized the cats.

The curtains were discoloured and the floor was gone -- the cats were living on the sub-floor, which was soaked in urine and male spray.

"I believe it's the first house I've seen dedicated solely to cats," said inspector Chris Chew, who estimates that at least once a month he goes to homes where people hoard large numbers of animals.

"The house appeared to be in dire (need of) renovations and I would say it is now uninhabitable."

Although the case is extreme for London, instances of animal hoarding are getting more frequent, Chew said.

"Hoarding is a surprisingly frequent phenomenon. I wouldn't say it happens ever day, but it's more frequent," he said.

"We see everyone from people in low-class housing to people that are financially set."

People who hoard multiple animals tend to think of themselves as rescuers. Often they can rhyme off information about all their pets -- everything from ages, to names and stories, Chew said.

But most grossly underestimate the number of animals they have: If an owner tells Chew he has 10 cats, it's more likely there are 15. If someone says they have 20 cats, the number is likely 30.

Last fall, inspectors removed more than 60 cats from a north London home.

The case of the Huron St. house reached the London Humane Society's attention when the home's owner, a woman, died. Concerned friends called asking for help because the woman's common-law spouse already had a lot to deal with -- including the 10 cats that lived in another home the couple occupied.

The 25 cats subsequently removed from the two locations are in various levels of socialization. Four have been put up for adoption and the others are being looked after by veterinarians, their cages covered with blankets because they're not used to people or to being moved.

The Humane Society knew the owners had many cats and tried to call in the past year to offer assistance, Chew said, but the owner avoided inspectors and refused to respond to offers of help.

"We do find that people who have large amounts of animals are reluctant to deal with us because they're afraid they'll be in trouble. But if you don't deal with it, the problem is just going to multiply," Chew said.

References

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